A Second Chance
by AngelQueen
Summary: Gibbs wasn't sure how it happened, but Abby managed to survive the reckless trip to the hospital. Part 3: How Gibbs and Abby handled the second chance they were given. COMPLETE
1. A Second Chance

**Disclaimer: **_NCIS _and all associated characters belong to DPB and CBS. I make no claim on them and write this purely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of others.

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_A Second Chance  
For the Hiatus Creative Drive, Week 12, at the Gabby Forums_

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Gibbs had always thought that he'd have time to make her see, or that she already knew, how he felt. He and Abby had always been able to understand each other without words, so why mess with a good thing?

He should have remembered his own rule – take nothing for granted. Hell, his own losses should have been warning enough.

What started out as a case like any other soon became anything but that. Two Marines were dead, the primary suspects being their own COs. What started as a murder case quickly became much, much more. The COs had an accomplice, an unknown, who sought to drive the investigation off the scent by kidnapping their own forensic scientist. The FBI quickly jumped in, citing that kidnappings were their jurisdiction, but Fornell was hardly stupid enough to try and keep Gibbs out of the loop. Not when it was Abby they were talking about. The investigation continued along with the search, and they began to uncover an enormous drug ring spread all over D.C., from the remotest residential area to Capitol Hill itself.

Eventually, they discovered where the drug ring was based, and raided the place. What happened next was a blur. Gibbs remembered shooting it out with several drug dealers, covering McGee as he worked to free Abby from the restraints they'd found her in. She had been keeping her head down, but she obviously spotted something, because next thing Gibbs had known, Abby had flung herself behind him just as a series of shots were fired. As they all turned, Gibbs had seen Abby drop to the floor lifelessly and the gun in the hands of a drug runner, aimed right at them. The runner went down seconds later, riddled with bullets from all their guns. Under other circumstances, Gibbs might have gotten some satisfaction from that, but not now.

It was when he saw Abby lying there on the cement, her blood gushing from her chest like a fountain, that Gibbs saw not just her, but every woman who had ever died for or because of him. He saw Shannon and Kelly, their faces covered in scrapes and bruises, staring at him solemnly. He saw Kate, her bullet wound gaping open like a black hole, sucking even the light into it. He saw Paula Cassidy, burns covering a face made recognizable only by her eyes, which seared into his own skin like a brand. He saw Jenny, her shirt soaked in blood. All of them were silent, but their eyes spoke volumes.

_Will Abby join us?_

Gibbs wasn't sure how it happened, but Abby managed to survive the reckless trip to the hospital. He rode in the ambulance with her, leaving DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva to clean up the mess before they joined them. As they pulled out, he vaguely recalled Tony shouting at Vance's secretary to put the director on now or he'd have McGee crash every network NCIS had. None of it really sank in; he had eyes only for Abby.

She was in surgery for three hours before they wheeled her into recovery. The doctors had no problem talking to him, since, apparently, Abby had listed him as next-of-kin for some reason, even above her own brother. There was talk of a punctured lung, of high blood loss, but one thing still made sense – she was still alive. Hence why he was now sitting in her room in the ICU. The room was silent, except for the heart monitor, which beeped steadily and quietly. It was a constant reminder that she was still alive, that she hadn't joined the list of dead women Gibbs had failed in his life.

The team had been in and gone. Ziva had been pale and quiet, her eyes suspiciously bright. Tony had grabbed a hold of Abby's hand and could barely be convinced to let go of her so someone else could come in and visit. McGee had brought Bert from her lab, carefully settling the hippo underneath her arm without upseting any of the wires and tubes connected to her body. Ducky's visit had been brief, kissing Abby on the forehead and exhorting her to get better soon, that he had tests that he needed her to run. He had then informed Gibbs that he would take great pleasure in weighing the liver of the man who had attacked their Abigail. Neither of them mentioned about how Ducky had been denied that with Kate's killer, but it had been in Gibbs' thoughts and Ducky's eyes. Even Vance had stopped in, a bouquet of black roses in hand. They now sat on the table next to Abby's bed.

Now Gibbs was alone with her. Her skin was even paler than it normally was, almost chalky white, which stood all the more with her black lashes laying over top it.

She had almost died, right there in front of him, _because_ of him. He should have been watching his own back, making sure none of the drug dealers flanked them. After dealing with how Kate and Jenny died, he'd sworn that no other woman would take a bullet for him, and yet there Abby lay, her blood pouring out of her body. She could have died, and then she would never have known... He couldn't go through this again. Losing Shannon had damn near killed him; watching Abby's life drain away... in some ways, it was worse. At the very least Gibbs hadn't actually watched his wife die.

Her hand was enclosed in his, limp and unresponsive. Gibbs kept his grip on her, and somehow managed to dose for a little while, a resolution unformed but still confirmed in his mind.

* * *

Everything hurt. Her body, her throat, even her hair seemed to hurt. She forced her eyes open, and saw white. Everything was white. The ceiling, the walls, all of it. And there was something in her mouth, in her throat, and it hurt. She reached up, clawing at it, trying to get it out –

– only to have someone grab her hand in a firm grip. A face appeared, a young man she didn't recognize. "Miss Sciuto, it's okay," he said hurriedly. "You're in the hospital. Do you understand me?"

Miss Sciuto? Oh, right. She was Abby. She nodded frantically and jerked her hand, trying to get to whatever they had in her mouth.

"Do you want the breathing tube removed?"

_No shit, Sherlock. _Abby nodded again.

The following procedure was quick, but exceedingly uncomfortable. As the tube finally came all the way out, Abby coughed and sagged back against the bed. Breathing heavily, she forced herself to look around. In addition to the young man – probably the doctor – there was also a nurse present. Then she saw the third person, standing in the corner of the small room. She recognized him. "Gibbs," she whispered hoarsely.

It all came back. The case. Being grabbed on the way to work. Being held in the drug ring's safehouse. Knowing she was probably as good as dead. Gibbs and the team breaking in, guns blazing. Timmy tugging frantically at the knots. The drug dealer, taking aim at Gibbs' unprotected back.

The pain that followed before mercifully losing conscious.

Abby trembled, ignoring the repeated questions of the nurse and doctor, and stared at Gibbs. He was alive, and so was she. They were still here.

"Gibbs."

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**Note:** I've marked this as complete, but there is a possibility that there might be a sequel/second part to this story. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	2. The Team

**Disclaimer:** _NCIS_ and all associated characters are property of DPB and CBS. I make no claim on them and write this purely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of others. No copyright infringement intended.

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_A Second Chance  
Part Two_

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Ziva wouldn't cry. Abby didn't like tears, so she would not shed them. She reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Abby's face. Someone had taken her hair out of her pigtails. She always looked her best in her pigtails. Someone should fix them.

"She will be fine, yes?" The question was posed quietly, but still sounded loud in the small room.

Gibbs stared at her, not replying from his position on the opposite side of the bed, his hand glued to Abby's. His silence was frightening, and made it harder to hold onto Ziva's resolution against tears.

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Tony bit his lip, taking Abby's lifeless hand in his grip. This was wrong. Abby didn't belong in a hospital. She belonged at NCIS, dancing to her music in her lab, talking in ASL with Gibbs just to irritate everyone else. She'd be there now, if they'd done their jobs.

"Tony."

Things almost always got bad during drug-related cases. They should've seen this coming, should have known that the drug cartel would retaliate against their investigation.

"DiNozzo!"

He looked at Gibbs. "The others are waiting," he said.

It took a few seconds – minutes? – but Tony was able to let go.

* * *

Tim's shoes squeaked loudly as he came into the room. He stopped at the foot of the bed, silently grateful that he hadn't eaten all day. Seeing Abby with tubes and machines connected to her was a sickening sight.

"Boss," he said, "I, uh, brought. Figured she'd want him…"

Gibbs didn't respond verbally, but nodded. Tim shuffled to the other side of the bed and carefully lifted Abby's limp arm, placing the stuffed hippo under it. Gently laying her arm down again, he didn't release her immediately. "Abby…" he trailed off, unable to fight past the lump in his throat.

* * *

"Oh, Abigail… I'm so sorry."

It didn't escape Ducky how often he seemed to say those words to his female colleagues. At least there was one comforting difference – Abby wasn't lying in his morgue.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her pale forehead. "You must get well soon, my dear," he ordered her. "I have many tests for you to run."

Ducky turned to Gibbs. He looked like death warmed over, but Ducky didn't comment on it. "I look forward to weighing liver of the son of a bitch that did this, Jethro," he said instead.

Gibbs nodded.

* * *

Leon didn't like losing people, even though it was inevitable in his line of work. Still, his lab rats weren't supposed to be in the line of fire.

Once he was in the room, he set his burden down – black roses. Abby Sciuto's love of the flowers was well-known everywhere in NCIS.

"She'll like those," Gibbs said quietly.

Leon nodded. "I'm glad we didn't lose anyone this time," he said after some time.

"Me too."

Leon glanced at Gibbs. His eyes remained settled on Abby.

_All men need a focus for their devotion._

Now Leon knew where Gibbs' devotion lay.

* * *

The squad room was quiet the next morning. No one had slept the night before, and now everyone was trying to pretend that today was like any other day.

The ringing of Tony's phone made all three of them jump. They stared at it, letting it ring, until Tony picked it up. "DiNozzo."

He straightened. "Right. We're coming." He hung up. A huge grin spread across Tony's face and he stood up, climbing onto his desk.

"She's awake!" he shouted to everyone. Cheers broke out.

Ziva jumped up. "I'll tell Ducky and Palmer."

"I'll tell everyone in MTAC," Tim added.

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Thanks for reading! Feedback appreciated!


	3. What Came After

**Disclaimer:** _NCIS _and all associated characters belong to DPB and CBS. I make no claim on them and write this purely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of others. No copyright infringement intended.

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_A Second Chance  
Part Three_

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Abby sighed, warm and content as she settled in to bed for the night. Of course, that feeling of warmth and contentedness probably had to do with the body pressed up against her back and the arm that was slung over her waist. Gibbs was like a big, warm blanket, and she slept pretty well with him wrapped around her. Probably some of the best sleep she'd ever had.

The past several weeks since she'd been released from the hospital had been an experience. The doctors had wanted her to stay longer, but she'd worn them down until they finally agreed to let her go, with one condition…

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"_Very well, Miss Sciuto," the doctor said, his expression resigned._

"_Yay!" she cheered._

"_But," he added, cutting off her impromptu celebration before she could start to dance around her room, "there is one condition for your early release – you need to either stay with someone or have someone stay with you for at least a week, maybe longer but that is conditional on your next examination." He looked at her questioningly, "Do you have any family in the area?"_

_Abby slumped a little on her bed, and then sat up straighter, wincing at the dull pain that shot through her chest. "No, they're all in New Orleans," she admitted. "I might be able to stay with –"_

"_She'll stay with me." Abby turned to see Gibbs standing in the doorway, coffee cup in hand. _

_The doctor didn't do much more than raise an eyebrow, having become used to Gibbs' sudden appearances in her room, even when he was in the middle of consulting with her. Abby stared at him, asking, "Are you sure, Gibbs?" She smiled at him. "You've never had to live with me full-time. I'm supposedly pretty hard to live with, and I wouldn't want you to think I was hard to live with and –"_

"_Abby," he cut her off, giving her that patented Gibbs look._

_She stopped, and then grinned at him. "I've missed that," she said. She then turned to the doctor. "Looks like I've got a roomie. Happy?"_

* * *

So after stopping at her apartment to pack a bag – or three – Abby went with Gibbs to his house. He must have been planning for her to be there, because one of the bedrooms on the second floor had been cleared out and fresh bed linens put on the bed for her. In the ensuing days, Gibbs was home fairly often, claiming that they were in a bit of a lull at work. Even when he was working, he made sure he was home at a decent hour instead of working late into the night like he normally did. It certainly helped when Abby woke up screaming from the nightmares, where she saw Gibbs, Tony, McGee, or Ziva be shot down trying to rescue her. Sometimes she even watched Jenny or Kate get shot as well, as if they had been on the mission as well. More than once Gibbs would wake her up from the horrible dreams and sit with her, either until she fell back asleep or accompanying her downstairs for coffee if she couldn't bear to sleep again.

During the day, the rest of the team was regular visitors, regaling her with stories of what Abby was missing at the office. She'd been horrified to learn that the temp brought while she was out on medical leave was making a mess of her lab…

* * *

"_Don't worry, Abbs," Tony told her, "we told Libby to make sure she put everything back exactly like she found it, or she'd have to deal with you." He grinned, adding, "And Gibbs."_

_Abby laughed from her spot on the couch, her feet tucked beneath her and leaning against Gibbs. "Definitely. Remind her of what I made you, Timmy, and Jimmy do when you three trashed my lab. You can even show her the recording I made of it."_

_Palmer, Tony, and McGee, who were all sitting on the floor of the living room, froze. "Recording?" McGee repeated in a strangled tone. "What recording?"_

_Abby just smirked at them and shifted a little closer to Gibbs when he draped his arm along the couch behind her._

* * *

Ducky even came around and cooked a lovely dinner for the three of them. Of course, it looked a little odd sitting on Gibbs' card table, but a good time was had by all nonetheless.

Abby actually found that she liked spending so much time with Gibbs. He didn't have a boat to work on in his basement anymore, but had moved on to making toys. Toys, she found, were a lot easier for her to comprehend than boats. Gibbs was patient when he showed her how to make some of the simpler toys, though she painted more than chiseled.

Time passed, though, and although the doctors insisted she stay another week with Gibbs just to be sure, eventually Abby was cleared to return to living by herself. The only catch was that Gibbs didn't seem in any hurry to have her leave…

* * *

_Abby watched Gibbs move around the kitchen from the door. He was throwing together a salad, focused on his task. "Check for the parmesan in the fridge, would you, Abbs?"_

_She blinked, but did as asked, moving across the kitchen. She glanced at him as she opened the fridge. "It won't take me long to pack up, Gibbs." She mustered a small smile. "I'll be out of your hair."_

_He took the parmesan she offered him, but didn't look up. "Don't forget the dressing too," was all he said._

_Abby blinked again. "Gibbs –" she started._

"_Abby," he cut her off, turning away from the salad bowl, "you can stay as long as you like." She froze when he reached out with both hands. One hand went to the fridge door, but the other brushed her cheek, signing out a single word._

Stay.

_It might've sounded cliché, but Abby was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat. Or several._

* * *

Okay, so maybe she hadn't really wanted to leave either.

A few days turn into more. Abby started back to work – Libby did somehow manage to get the lab back in order – and her life returned to normal, with the exception of where she went when she finished for the night. Her apartment stayed empty for the most part, and more of her things gravitated over to Gibbs' house.

She admitted that she'd been a bit tentative at first, certain that, sooner or later, Gibbs would start to get tired of sharing the house with her, that he'd want his life back. He never did, though.

* * *

"_Why did you ask me to stay?" she finally asked him one night in the basement. They aren't working on the wooden toys, just unwinding after a long day at the office. Gibbs sipped on his bourbon, while she nursed her vodka, sitting just a few feet away from him._

_Gibbs didn't answer immediately, his eyes flickering back and fourth between his drink and her. "Didn't think I needed to spell it out for you, Abbs," he eventually replied._

_Abby sighed. "Go ahead," she told him. "Spell it out for me. I'm useless when it comes to deciphering the mixed signals you send me."_

_Again, he stayed quiet for a while. When he didn't respond after several minutes, she sighed in frustration. "Gibbs, you've barely let me out of your sight since… _it…_ happened. You act like…" she trailed off._

"_Like what?" His voice was loud against the sudden silence._

"_Like…" she paused for a minute, and the finally blurted it out, "Like an overprotective boyfriend."_

_Gibbs just stared at her, and the silence again surrounded them. Abby feared the worst, that any minute he'd confirm what she'd once said, that he loved her like a daughter, that she had it completely wrong. Biting her lip against the sudden urge to cry, Abby put her glass down and stood up. She moved to get past him, intent on going upstairs to her room, maybe to just sleep and forget this had ever happened, or maybe move back to her apartment –_

_His hand caught her arm before she could go two steps._

"_Gibbs," she started._

_He cut her off. "Never been good with words, Abby," he said. Then his other hand was behind her neck, and he pulled her down. Before she could react, his lips were on hers._

_Abby was pretty sure she'd just found nirvana._

* * *

They didn't jump into bed together that night, or the night after that. Still, Abby knew then where she stood with him. She was no adopted child of his, that was for damn sure. They slowly moved forward, exploring the possibilities, but again, in no great rush. Gibbs had three failed marriages and a host of other relationship disasters to make him cautious, and Abby hadn't had a serious, committed relationship in a long time, if ever, really.

Still, even as they took their time, Abby knew she'd found her home.

Movement behind her caught her attention. Gibbs sat up a little and Abby automatically rolled on her back, looking up at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He peered down at her. "You're thinking too loud."

Her laughter didn't last long, not when her mouth was quickly engaged in much more interesting pursuits.

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